Davis Factor, great-grandson of cosmetics legend Max Factor and co-founder of Smashbox, had long envisioned adding guest quarters to his property. With the acquisition of the neighboring lot, this vision quickly became a reality.

“Rather than treating it as an addition, we approached it as a full-property redesign,” explains architect Christopher Mercier. The goal was to create a unified space that blends indoor and outdoor environments seamlessly.

Working with Factor, Mercier designed the 2,700-square-foot addition to include a guest bedroom, open spaces for entertaining, and photo shoots. Instead of a standalone guest house, the new structure was connected to the original home with a metal post-and-beam framework, complementing the existing wood construction. The design features connected rooflines and a shared entryway, with sliding glass doors that unify the two buildings into one open space or close off for privacy—a perfect harmony of modern architecture and functionality.